| Abstract: |
In January and February 2017 Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation at South Oxford Science Village, Oxford, Oxfordshire. The evaluation involved the excavation of 204 trenches. The evaluation result confirm that two significant concentrations of Romano-British settlement and pottery production activity are present across the centre and north-east of the site, with a smaller area of sparse activity in the east of the site. A very small assemblage of residual Neolithic/Bronze Age worked flints indicate transient and episodic occupation of the site for these periods. A small number of features and finds of late prehistoric and Middle - Late Iron Age date were recorded in the west and centre of the site. The largest number of features were of Roman-British date, which were recorded predominantly in the centre and north -east of the site. The dense concentration of features in the centre and north-east of the site reflect well-planned areas of settlement and pottery production. This is borne out by the quantity of finds from the features, particularly pottery, metalwork, coins, quantities of fired clay kiln waste (furniture/linings) as well as the palaeoenvironmental evidence of the dumping of domestic, hearth and crop processing waste. An inhumation and a cremation burial of probable Roman-British date, were also recorded in the centre of the site. Although beginning in the 1st - 2nd centuries AD, the settlement/industrial activities became more intensive and extensive in the Late Roman period (3rd - 4th century AD) which fits perfectly with the known developments of the Roman Oxford pottery industry of the local area. Although no medieval features were recorded some probably late 19th/early 20th century furrows were recorded across the site, as well as two large recently infilled modern quarry pits in the east of the site. In January and February 2017 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological trial trench evaluation for EDP Limited on c.150ha of land at South Oxford Science Village, Oxford, Oxfordshire (centred at NGR: SP (4)5515 (2)0150). The evaluation involved the machine excavation of 204 trenches measuring 50m long by 1.8m wide. A preceding heritage desk-based assessment and geophysical survey indicated concentrations of possible archaeological features in the centre, north and east of the site. The evaluation results correlate excellently with the earlier geophysical survey results. They indicate that two significant concentrations of Romano-British settlement and pottery production waste (redeposited elements of kiln superstructure/lining or floor remnants) occur in the centre and north-east of the site, with a smaller area of sparse activity with kiln waste in the east of the site. The results also correlate well with later prehistoric and Romano-British settlement/industrial evidence highlighted in previous archaeological investigations of the surrounding landscape. A very small assemblage of residual Neolithic/Bronze Age worked flints indicate transient and episodic occupation of the site in these periods. A small number of features and finds of later prehistoric and Middle – Late Iron Age date were recorded mainly in the west of the site, but also below the Romano-British activity in the centre of the site. The later prehistoric features included two sub-rectangular enclosures and five penannular roundhouse and possible barrow ring-ditches of 5m and 10-15m in diameter. The associated finds assemblage of later prehistoric/Iron Age pottery, animal bone and a quernstone fragment, as well as the size/morphology of these ditched features, would indicate a mixture of Iron Age settlement (roundhouses, enclosures) and possible funerary activity (barrows) in the west of the site. |
